Amid India-China border clashes, several fake and old videos are making the rounds on social media including Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp. While in some cases, old videos are being circulated with a false narrative, in the other cases, fake videos are linked to the recent India-China clashes at Galwan valley in Ladakh. In this article, we at the fact-checking team of International Business Times, India will be debunking several fake claims linked to the India-China border clashes.
1. Sparks on the border between China and India in June 2020
Claim: A video has gone viral on social media alongside a claim of sparks on the border between China and India in June 2020. The 38-second video featuring a logo of Douyin shows flashes of light appearing between mountains. The captions on the video roughly translate to: "China-India border sparks flame, what happened on earth? The strange thing is that media groups from both countries remain silent. They all said it was (soldiers) fighting with stones."
Truth: The video is old and the claim that it happened at the Indo-Sino border in June 2020 is fake. We found out that the video was published on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, on December 13, 2019. The Galwan clashes between Indian and Chinese soldiers took place on June 15.
2. Chinese Army gave hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat injured Indian soldiers
Claim: A Chinese propaganda account on Twitter shared a video showing two men in Army fatigues receiving hyperbaric oxygen therapy used to treat brain-herniation, a leading cause of death at high-altitudes. The Twitter user, Eva Zheng (@evazhengll), who shared the video claimed that 10 Indian troops who sustained injuries during the clash were saved by the Chinese PLA by giving them hyperbaric oxygen therapy. She also claimed that no Chinese soldier died in the Galwan clashes and only five were injured.
Truth: The video created a huge controversy as several prominent people, including senior Indian journalists, fall for it. However, the video proved to be fake. When fact-checked, it was found out that the video was first uploaded to the Chinese video-sharing website bilibili.com on February 14, 2017.
3. Chinese vehicle and a soldier captured in Ladakh
Claim: Another such video making the rounds on social media claims that Indian soldiers have captured a Chinese vehicle and soldier in Ladakh. The video was shared on Twitter by an Indian user along with a caption that reads: "Chinese vehicle and a soldier captured in Ladakh. Spread this in all your groups and with your friends, so that people don't ask for the proof later. As Received via WhatsApp."
Chinese vehicle and a soldier captured in Ladakh. Spread this in all your groups and with your friends, so that people don't ask for the proof later.
— ದೇಶಭಕ್ತ Nagaraju_KR ?? (@nagaraju_kr) June 17, 2020
As Received via WhatsApp pic.twitter.com/j7rJbq2s1N
Truth: The video is being shared amid the deadly Galwan Valley clashes between Indian and Chinese soldiers. While India revealed it lost 20 soldiers in the June 15 clashes, the Chinese side has not spoken about its casualties. This has led to speculations and the circulation of such videos. However, this video also went viral last month. While the video is real, the incident didn't take place in June or after the Galwan clashes.
